BIOGRAPHY

Vicenta Prieto Santos was born in Santa Croya de Tera, Castile and León, Spain, on 22 January 1909. During her youth, she had a love for dancing, but household responsibilities often prevented her from joining in the festivities at the town square. Life at home was busy, as she lived with her parents, Agustín and Petra, and seven siblings—Antonia, Emiliana, Marcos, Luis, Severiano, Tomás, and Higinio. Together with her sisters, she undertook numerous household chores, including sewing and washing for the entire family. Farm work consumed much of each day, but her parents eventually established a bakery on Jamontes Street. There, they baked and sold large 3.5-kilogram (eight-pound) loaves of bread, often trading them with neighbors for wheat. The family kitchen was a constant hub of activity, with the stove always lit and a pot simmering nearby, filled with chickpeas, beans, potatoes, or bacon.

Her adolescence was marked by the hardships of the Spanish flu epidemic, which took a heavy toll on her community. At just 9 years old, she attended many funerals for neighbors but was fortunate that the illness spared her family. She never married nor had children. Even in her 40s, she worked tirelessly, including traveling to the Orcejón pasture between Villanueva de las Peras and Litos to earn money to support her household. Throughout it all, she remained the heart of her family, always tending to the kitchen and ensuring everyone was cared for.

When she turned 100, the town of Santa Croya de Tera, where she lived, dedicated a special day in her honor. Neighbors, family, friends, and the entire community came together to celebrate her milestone birthday. The social hall on the ground floor of the Town Hall proved too small to accommodate all the well-wishers who came to visit her. She celebrated her 105th birthday surrounded by family at the “San Tirso” nursing home in Santibáñez de Tera, where she had been living for a few months after suffering a broken hip. At the time, it was reported that she still enjoyed impressive mental and physical health, though her hearing had diminished, and she experienced limited mobility in her legs.

In her final days, she was admitted to the hospital in Benavente, where she passed away on 2 December 2020, at the age of 111 years and 315 days.

RECOGNITION

On 15 May 2019, following the passing of 110-year-old Antonia Gómez Buelta, she became the oldest living person in Castile and Leon. She held the title for a year and a half, until her own passing in December 2020, when she was succeeded by Saturnino de la Fuente García.

At the time of her passing, she was the second-oldest living person in Spain, after María Branyas Morera.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Vicenta Prieto Santos, la abuela de la comarca, cumple 105 años” – La Opinión de Zamora, 22 January 2014

* “106 años de plenitud” – La Opinión de Zamora, 23 January 2015

* “La abuela cumple 107 años” – La Opinión de Zamora, 22 January 2016

* “Centenarios en Zamora: Una reina de 108 eneros” – La Opinión de Zamora, 25 January 2017

* “Vicenta Prieto Santos, de 109 años, homenajeada en Santibáñez de Tera” – La Opinión de Zamora, 24 January 2018

* “La abuela de la provincia cumple 110 años” – La Opinión de Zamora, 22 January 2019

GALLERY